


New Directions

by Artan



Series: Fluency AU [16]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Culture, F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s), Language, Mildly Suggestive, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 06:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11731155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artan/pseuds/Artan
Summary: Not all traditions are good.  Some are more trouble than they are worth.





	New Directions

**Author's Note:**

> Italics are Lapine  
> Bold is Vulpine

Judy sighed, and set her beer down on the bar.  “ **I know that Nick is a bit of a traditionalist at times, but he never seems to be able to explain why.  Anything you can shed some light on, Fin?”**   The fox in question was an appropriately scaled bottle ahead of her, but wasn’t showing any of the side effects.  It was a bit of a marvel considering their body sizes.   Finnick put down his half-finished drink and took a moment to collect his thoughts amidst the loud Sahara Square bar.  “ **Now this goes a ways back, like to when we first met.  Even then he was one for the old ways.  He never explained himself to me either, but I have an idea.  I think it’s how he tried to keep something going with his mother.  In his own head, if he could stick to what she taught him everything would eventually work itself out.** ”

The fennec took a sip of beer from its clear bottle and resumed speaking.  “ **Course, leaving your mother like that doesn’t sit well with the old ways, but Nick wasn’t going to let that stop him.  It was the only connection he had to his last remaining family member.  He would have held onto that even if it killed him.** ”  Judy had to interrupt there.  “ **Then why does he act the same way with my species’ traditions?** ”  There was a snort from her companion that prefaced his response.  “ **Easy.  It’s ‘cause he wants to be a part of your family as well.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; you got that fox good.** ”  The conversation swiftly turned to other matters, but Finnick’s comments stuck with Judy.

A certain issue had arisen in the past week.  Of course, that was a polite way of describing what was occurring around the apartment.  Nick was trying to make preparations for their first anniversary, but something was wrong with the tone of the conversation.  He had taken a sudden interest in the oldest Lapine rites.  It wasn’t her mate’s first foray into the topic, that was sometime between their first and third dates, but this was his most focused.

It didn’t help that the old traditions were just that.  Very old and unhelpful at best, at their worst they propagated horrible assumptions about other species.  Especially predators.  Pop-pop was an unfortunate example of that history, even after attempts by her parents to soften his views.  Some of her brothers were no better, with the looks and whispered comments they made whenever her mate visited the burrow.  Judy sighed as the subway carried her home from meeting with Finnick.  It only took a few bad carrots to rot the rest.

Most residential activity had ended by the time Judy locked the apartment door behind her.  Two green-yellow disks reflected the glow of their shared laptop from the couch.  It seemed Nick was still awake.  At one time his eyeshine may have unnerved her, but it had become familiar and comforting.  Right now however, it told her he was being foolish.  “ _It’s late, shouldn’t you be asleep?_ ”  The mild tingle in the tips of her paws was the final remnants of her meeting, but shouldn’t have done anything to make her harder to understand.  The eyes just blinked silently and Judy took it as her cue to continue, “ _Besides, don’t we both have work tomorrow?  If just one of us is tired, wouldn’t that be better than both?_ ”  From the dark mass that was Nick, Judy heard an amused snort and a short chuckle.

“ _Judy, didn’t you forget?  We have the next two days off.  For once, city hall is working in our favor!_ ”  Her husband’s response tickled something in her mind, but with her exhaustion, her thoughts just seemed to slide out of her grasp.  Not that the several bottles of cider and a shot of something Finnick suggested had anything to do with it.  A large yawn split her mouth and screwed her eyes shut.  “You look tired, and I know I’m tired.  Let’s call it a night.”  Judy couldn’t help but nod as Nick placed a paw on her shoulder and directed her towards their room.

Next morning wasn’t pleasant and until the Ibuprofen started working, Judy was easily able to sympathize with her fox’s need for sunglasses.  The light was almost as bad as the headache.  The apartment was thankfully quiet, aside from the sound of her fox’s voice from elsewhere in their home.  Disentangling her legs from the sheets, she made her way to the door and opened it, shielding herself from the sun.

Nick had his cell phone pressed against the side of his head and his ears were flattened.  The morning sun streamed through the open window on his bare torso, with only a pair of sweatpants on he was more than just nice to look at.  His tail seemed to stiffen in response to something his caller said before returning to normal.  The manners Judy’s parents had insisted upon may have convinced her to give her husband some privacy outside the same room no longer held any sway.  “…  Yes…  I know, but…  I will ask her about it, I just… **By the saints** she’d break me if I did that…   Oh, sorry about the language.  It’s just an expression…  Sort of, more like ‘how can that be’ than anything else.”  Judy’s one sided look into the conversation ended as the bedroom door was caught by the morning breeze.

Nick had a habit of leaving the apartment windows open once the weather improved.  Not that Judy was complaining, the surrounding apartments didn’t block the wind and it kept the inside surprisingly cool at times.  Right now however, that normally quite nice breeze caught the bedroom door behind her and slammed it shut.

Nick’s ears shot up and he spun around in surprise, with Judy standing there in an oversized shirt.  “Hey, um, mind if I call you back?”  The fox asked whoever was on the other end of the line before his ears suddenly turned a deep crimson and his eyes widened.  ”Oh… oh.  Ok.  Um, thanks?  I’ll keep that in mind, I guess…  Love you too, bye.”  It was one of the few times Nick had actually been rendered speechless, but none of that mattered now that he had stoked Judy’s curiosity.  “So,” she began, “Who was that?”  The fox hesitated a moment before answering.  “Your mother.  So, you doing alright after last night’s expedition with Fin?  I left some painkillers out for you, with some water.”  His seamless deflection was surprisingly ineffective.

Judy, however, gave him another chance to start the conversation himself.  “Much better now, thanks.  So, how’s Mom doing?”  Sometimes Nick just needed a small push when it came to it, hopefully this would work.  “Just fine, the weather has your father up in arms.  Apparently the lack of rain has him concerned, but he would be saying the same thing if it was wet.  So I guess it’s business as usual at the Hopps Family Farm.”  Nick just wasn’t getting the hint, but it was worth it to try one last time.  “Anything else going on?”  Nick thought for a moment before shaking his head.  “Nope, nothing else.”  It was time to force the issue.

“Nick, isn’t there something we need to talk about?”  Judy’s patience for subtlety had been exhausted and it showed.  Paws met hips while her ears sloped back; she had to stop herself from tapping her foot.  Her mate may not have understood the entirety of the body language but the message was received.  “ _How much of that call did you hear?_ ”  Lapine wasn’t going to be much help for Nick now.  “Enough.”  Judy paused momentarily to collect her thoughts.  “Enough to know there is some part of Lapine culture you don’t feel comfortable asking me about and instead have to ask Mom.”  Her fox’s tail was wedged between his legs while he seemed to want to vanish.

“ **I’m sorry,** ” Nick looked like he wanted to just curl up and hide under his own tail.  “I wanted to see about one old Rabbit custom and I didn’t think you would have liked me looking into it.”  The fox swayed gently from side to side as Judy’s foot began tapping against the apartment’s wood floor.  “You could have just asked.  What could be so controversial that you didn’t feel comfortable talking to me about it.  Was it something I said?”  Judy had been careful to try and keep the sting out of her words and tone; this didn’t need to escalate any further.

If anything, that only caused Nick further distress as he buried his muzzle in the fur of his chest.  “No, it wasn’t you.”  He sighed deeply, “It’s just been on my mind since we visited your folks over the winter.  Something someone said got in my fur and I just haven’t been able to let it go.”  As he spoke Judy could see her fox seem to deflate, there was something he was leaving out.  Her mind searched through the events of last November when something sprang to mind.

Years of experience had honed her memory, especially when it came to other mammals.  Names and faces of only a few dozen others in the precinct was nothing compared to the hundreds of family members she had growing up.  Looking back on the weekend visit she had made with Nick in late November, those skills brought new meaning to the current situation.  Pop-pop had been there, along with some of her more extended cousins.  He may have been her father’s father-in-law but his word had some weight in lapine hierarchy, so when he spoke some others just might listen.  Especially those who were part of his branch of the family.

The Downs was both the name of a place and one of the oldest families in the area.  Supposedly they were older than the infamous von Haresburgs with none of their prestige.  All of that resentment seemed to rest squarely on Pop-pop’s shoulders, he was bitter even in his most sociable moods.  During the only meal he showed up to, some of the things he said stood out.  Amidst the packed, long dinner tables the old rabbit gave her mate yet another glare.  Only this time, instead of muttering under his breath, he decided to talk with his kins-rabbits.  Talk wasn’t the right word for what or how his words were delivered, shouted or announced was far more accurate.

“ _I wonder who Stewart will invite next into this burrow.  Perhaps a few stoats, or even a badger if he’s feeling particularly foolish._ ”  The old rabbit stomped his foot catching the attention of the few mammals that had been managing to ignore him.  “ _Besides it isn’t like he cares much for his kits and kin.  Just look at what he lets his daughter marry.  Hmph, strutting around like he’s one of us.  I doubt he could keep a doe like a real buck if he ever tried._ ”  Judy quickly glanced over at her fox, hoping that he hadn’t been hurt by her Grandfather.  At the time, he hadn’t seemed to have noticed.  He was too busy playing with the kits at the table behind them.  At least, that was how it seemed at the time.

Judy had tried to put the incident out of her mind, but it had taken a greater relevance now.  “Nick, if this is about what Pop-pop said; you know how much of a backwards, speciestist hick he is.  If anything, you know more than anyone in the family about that.”  Nick snorted and turned towards the coffeemaker, “Yeah, that’s true.”  He began, “But it still doesn’t change the fact that some of your family still seem to treat me like I’m going to eat them-” Anything further he may have had to say ended when Judy decided she had heard enough and stopped him in the simplest way she had; a quick brush down his tail followed by a tight embrace.  “Just tell me about this old tradition you were thinking of.”

The fox still stiffened before answering her question.  “It’s a really old custom, but every year a buck was supposed to ‘defend’ his mate.  So I was asking _Mom_ about that earlier when you woke up.”  In the narrow space between their bodies, Nick’s tail brushed itself against her leg.  “I was hoping to take part in this whole tradition for our anniversary, but I don’t really see the need to fight any of your siblings.”

“Then don’t.”  It was Judy’s simple answer to her mate’s dilemma.  “Nick, the idea of having to defend a mate started to fall apart around the turn of the twentieth century and by the time the sixties ended nobody really gave the thing much thought.  Besides, there are plenty of other things we can do to celebrate our wedding day.”  Nick placed his arms on top of her embrace and squeezed her back.  “Now that was something you Mother also talked about.”  The fox’s voice held both embarrassment and amusement in equal measure.  “As much fun as it is having my mate practically half-naked behind me, you may want to put more than just a shirt on before we both decide to ditch the clothes this morning.  I’ll have coffee ready by the time you come back.”  Judy looked down and realized that was a very good idea.

Slow mornings were a rarity as a member of law enforcement, which meant they were savored when they happened.  Now sporting a pair of her own sweatpants, Judy joined Nick at their small leafed table.  Their respective mugs both full of that glorious dark brown liquid with something more solid on the side.  Somehow, the small pile of ‘fresh’ greens on her plate didn’t look half as appetizing as the fruit on Nick’s.  She pondered a way to take some without him noticing when a question came to mind.

“Nick, since you’re so worried about my traditions, are there any vulpine anniversary customs that sound interesting?”  The fox closed his eyes and paused to think, with nearly half a wedge of pear sticking out of his muzzle.  Judy was ready to reach across the table with her fork to take a piece of fruit off his plate when he answered.  “I can think of a few things, such as the presentation of certain gifts between a couple or a woven wreath that was presented to the vixen.”  Judy pushed him further, looking for both information and an opportunity.  “What exactly do you mean by gifts?  Are there certain things that are associated with specific milestones?”

Nick paused longer this time before responding and Judy decided to try her luck.  A long reach and stretched arm managed to gain her a piece of fruit.  About half a slice of peach was nibbled away before she got an answer to her question.  “Well, to be honest there really aren’t any that I can think of.  Even when it comes to actual holidays there isn’t much between couples.  I mean, we have Marian’s Day and a few of the more notable solar feast days but nothing quite so formal.”  He smirked slightly, “Funny right?  The rest of our culture is so formal, yet vixens only have one big celebration.”  Judy was stunned, “Really?  Just Marian’s Day?  Wow.”

Nick tried to hide it, but unease crept onto his features.  “I don’t want to admit this, but I may not know all of my customs.  There are some things that I have heard Fin talk about and I just nod my head agreement, unsure if he is talking about his own family’s rites or of foxes as a whole.”  It was a moment of complete, raw truth from her mate.  Nothing was held back and any thought he may have had of hiding his feelings was cast aside.  Part of Judy was proud of Nick for this; he had learned to open himself up to someone else, while the rest was concerned about him.  “I worry some days that there are certain rites that I just never learned from my father or if there is some huge breach of etiquette that I am stumbling into.  I don’t want to repeat those same fears with another culture, your culture.”  Judy took a long sip of coffee, cardiac issues be damned, and formulated a plan.  “Nick, I’ve told you this before, but us rabbits are resourceful.  Ancient customs from hundreds of years ago just don’t hold the same weight with us.  Let’s give ourselves some time to both think about this before making a decision.”  Across the table the fox nodded, his mouth full of his own coffee.  It was a smart response; Judy wasn’t willing to argue this out right now.  Perhaps, with a little luck and time, things would eventually work themselves out.

 

Shopping was an activity Judy found little pleasure in, unlike many of her sisters.  New clothes had been a rarity, growing up with so many siblings made hand-me-downs the norm for many of her family members.  At least she was one of the older members of the brood, she was more likely to get new clothes than many others; age had its privileges in a large lapine family.  Judy never purchased much but had even less than usual today.  Nick’s situation weighed heavily on her mind with few real solutions.  Nothing from either of their cultures was going to help here; they were all on their own this time.  As that thought crossed her mind seemingly disparate ideas began to come together.  Inspiration had struck.

 

It had been an exercise in both patience and social misdirection to keep her mate busy that evening.  From her surprisingly successful cooking attempt to the new season of that fantasy-drama she walked a fine line.  She had to keep her fox engaged or his mind would certainly drift back to the morning’s discussion.  Now that they were both in bed it seemed that she was finally out of the woods.  She could feel her eyelids growing heavy while Nick’s heart beat its slow rhythm beside her.

Judy woke first the next morning.  The days when that wasn’t the case were few and far between.  As with most days however, her motion managed to rouse the fox still curled around her from the previous night.  There was a certain order with which his body seemed to awake.  First were the arms and ears, his grip tightened and one of his ears twitched.  Next his nose would try to burry itself against her skin before taking a long drag of her scent.  His muzzle would split wide, displaying both his long teeth and curled tongue in a broad yawn.  Finally, he would force his eyes open, letting out a quiet whine.  The sudden transition from dark to light could be long and occasionally painful for some mammals.

Today, Nick didn’t want to perform that last step.  He whined much like normal but just kept his eyes closed and squeezed them tighter, burying his nose back into her fur.  He was going to be obstinate this morning.  Judy wriggled and shifted until she was facing her fox.  Her paws came up and lifted his snout out of where he had tried to hide it against the side of her throat.  Scratches along his lower jaw only managed to provoke a pleased murmur.  “Nick, it’s time to wake up.”

Words almost succeeded where actions had failed.  In the semi darkness of the drawn blinds she could just make out her mate opening his eyes only to shut them harder than before.  The noise he made this time was far less pleased.  “Come on slick, rise and shine.”  She only got an annoyed huff with that one, so it was time to go for broke.  “Let’s go **Soulmate** ; the early fox gets the rabbit.”  There was a half-second where Judy thought Nick had fallen fully asleep before his green eyes cracked open.  “What?”

The question was written large on his face and his confusion brought a smile to Judy’s.  “You know there are a few different kinds of _getting_ , right?”  It took a moment but Nick’s eyes widened as he realized just what she meant.  He shook himself before asking the question Judy had managed to avoid the previous day.  “So, did you come to a decision yet?”  Judy nodded, she had.

“I know you would like to keep the old ways alive, but some things should remain in the past.  This is one of them.”  The fox seemed disappointed, but Judy quickly moved to her own idea.  A better idea.  “This time, we are going to do our own thing, perhaps even make new traditions.  We are modern mammals in modern times and shouldn’t repeat everything our ancestors did.  If that was the case, I doubt I would be quite so happy to wake up in your arms.”  Nick gave a small nod.  “Well then, do you have anything in mind or are we going to play it by ear?  Admittedly, they are very large ears.”  Judy snuggled close before whispering in his ear.  “I know where we can start.”

“Your mother said something about that when I called yesterday.  Something along the lines of starting like this…”  Nick’s paws moved upwards from the small of her back, every touch sending electricity through her nerves.  They paused only long enough to cup behind her head draw her close until they continued along her ears.  Judy sighed contentedly and closed her eyes before a firm pressure on the tip of one of her ears sent a shiver of pleasure through her.  She languidly opened her eyes and looked up, finding her mate’s long canine teeth nibbling at her ear.  “You had better have a good idea for what comes next Nick, otherwise…”  It took a few minutes but yes, it seemed her fox did have a few ideas for what to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow, it always seems like the actual typing takes far longer than writing my first drafts out on paper. Don't know why that happens, but I have a few of my own ideas. After focusing on traditional values for so long, I felt the need to have Nick and Judy break out from some of the customs that they had held. This seemed like a way to do that, especially for Nick.
> 
> The next piece(s) I am working on are going to be a bit shorter, as a matter of fact I already have the first done. It will be a set of four that I will finally group together as a multi part work. Should be interesting finally getting a recipe out in public.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments, I hate feeling like I am begging for them, but some people do have really good ideas. And I don't just mean me.


End file.
